The Next Generation
by Lainielove7
Summary: The ultimate triumph over Voldemort is Harry Potter's happiness. Live and learn with the Potter children as they begin to understand who they are and where their family has come from.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Thank you so much for reading my story! This is just something I have been working on in my free time to let off a little steam. Please R&R and let me know about any mistakes or anything you would like to see improved. Thank you! :)**

James sighed as he heard his name being called downstairs. He didn't understand why he had to get up so early on his summer holiday; it wasn't as if he had anything to do today except fly on his broom and do whatever pointless chores his mother could come up with.

He rolled out of bed and quickly threw on some clothes before hurrying downstairs.

"Morning, love," his mother said, leaning to kiss in. Her son bent backwards to avoid it.

"Mum!" James sighed. "I'm fourteen!"

Ginny laughed. "And you're still my little boy." She pulled him toward him and kissed his forehead, which he immediately wiped off before collapsing at his seat at the table.

"Where's Dad?" James asked, pulling some steaming pancakes onto his plate.

"Work," his younger brother Albus said with a mouthful of food.

"Manners," Ginny scolded gently, causing Albus' cheeks to flush.

"Why did Dad have to go to work? I thought he was spending the day with us," Ginny's youngest daughter Lily sighed.

"He was called in. But we can go to Diagon Alley today. Sound good?"

The children erupted into a chorus of excitement.

"Mum, can I get something at Uncle George's shop? Please, please, please!" James begged.

Albus grinned "I want to look at the new Firebolt. I heard they just got it into the shops."

"I want to get a chocolate frog for Daddy, please Mum?" Lily squealed.

"Alright, alright, you three. Finish your breakfast and then get ready."

An hour later, they were dressed and ready to go. Ginny scribbled a note to Harry in case he came home while they were gone. She grabbed Lily and Albus' hands. "Take your brother's hand, James." she told him.

"Ugh," James said. "I can't wait until I can Apparate on my own."

"Just cool it and take your brother's hand," his mother scolded softly.

Hiding a scowl, James obliged his mother, who then apparated herself and her children to Diagon Alley. The shops were busy; families with their children on holiday were as eager to get out of the house as the Potter's were. It had only been a week, and Ginny didn't think she could take one more hour of James tormenting his brother and sister, Lily running around the house on a sugar rush, or Albus..._Well, _thought Ginny _Not Albus._ Albus rarely did anything wrong. And when he did, he was so ashamed of what he had done, Ginny and Harry barely had to yell at him. James and Lily, on the other hand, took after their parents. There wasn't a day when the two of them weren't in trouble for something, usually conspiring together.

"Here is some pocket money. Lily, you and I are going to look for some new robes for your first year. Boys, you may go on your own-but you have to promise me that you'll stay together."

"Yes, Mum," the boys said in unison, greedily taking the money that was being handed to them.

"Don't buy too many sweets!" their mother called after them. "And James Potter, no tricks from your uncle's shop that are going to make me angry!"

"Got it!" James called back in an appeasing tone.

Ginny sighed. "Come on, darling. Let's get you some new robes."

"And a chocolate frog for Dad?"

"Yes, honey. We'll go to Honeydukes afterward." Ginny looked back at her sons, scurrying away toward her elder brother's joke shop. "I hope James doesn't get into too much trouble today."

Lily smiled at her mother. "It's like you don't even know him."


	2. Chapter 2

"We're stopping here first," James said as he pulled his little brother into their uncle's joke shop.

"Fine. But we're looking at the new racing broom right when we're done."

"If you think Mum and Dad are going to buy you that broom for your birthday, you better think again. They didn't even buy _me_ a racing broom and I'm the bloody Chaser for the Quidditch team!"

"That's because you broke your other broom into a hundred pieces after Mum told you not to fly in that storm last summer. If you think Mum and Dad would have bought you another top-of-the-line broom after _that _incident, it's _you _who better think again."

"Oy, whatever," James murmered. His eyes lit up once again when he saw his Uncle George at the counter of the busy shop, selling a stack of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to an excited-looking boy. "Uncle George! Your favorite nephews have arrived!" he announced with a grin.

"It's about time! I was wondering when your parents were going to bring you down here. Is Lily here too?"

Albus nodded. "Yes, she's with Mum. But Dad got called into work."

"I see," George nodded. "So what are you two looking for today? Maybe some Firecrackers?"

"Uncle George..." James groaned. "That's for first years. I want something good."

"You're mother is going to kill me..." George mumbled. "But I have something you would like."

"Don't do it, James. Just resist. You don't want to be grounded for the summer."

James laughed. "They wouldn't do that to me over a harmless little prank."

"You've been grounded for lesser things," Albus retorted, but James had already taken off toward the back of the shop with their uncle.

Albus sighed; he was very different from his brother, that was perfectly clear. While James couldn't go a day without making some sort of trouble, Albus liked to take as little risk as possible. He lived for making his parents proud of him. And so far, it was working. He had the best marks, knew the most spells in his year, and was destined to be an Auror like his father. And this year, his third year of school, he was going to try out for the Quidditch team to be a Seeker.

He looked around for a little bit, waiting for his brother to come back. He hoped George wasn't giving him something too large; there is no way James would be able to hide something bigger than what would fit in his pocket from their mother. Finally, he saw James come out of the back room of the store with a small bag in his hand.

"Blimey, Al! You have to see what Uncle George gave me."

Albus held up a hand to silence his brother. "I don't want to know. I never want to know."

James grinned the way he did when he was up to something. "Fine then. Don't take part in my glory."

The younger of the brothers rolled his eyes. "Let's say goodbye to Uncle George and then head to the broom shop. Mum will want to get lunch soon."

They said goodbye to their uncle, with the promise to visit again soon, and hurried to the broom shop to look at the new Firebolt.

"Wow." James whistled. "I need that."

"Keep dreaming," Albus said, his eyes afixed on the shimmering broom. He could only imagine the way its sleek handle would let him fly through the air. He could almost hear the roar of the crowd as they cheered on their Seeker. "Catch that Snitch Potter!" they would scream. A cry that hadn't been heard in the Quidditch stadium since his father's school days.

"Shove off," James snapped. "I don't know why you think you'll get everything. Just because your 'Mummy and Daddy's little boy.'"

Albus scowled. "Don't blame me for pleasing them. I work hard at everything I do."

"Oh yes. I know you do, little brother. I know you do. You need to let loose a little bit. It must be bloody awful to be perfect all the time."

"I'm not perfect!"

"Sure you're not," James said saracastically. "It doesn't matter. Let's go inside and ask how much the broom is. Maybe we can save up for it and share it."

"You mean we save up for it and you never let me use it? Ha! Yeah right."

James rolled his eyes. "Just come on, you prat."

The tinging of the bell inside the shop indicated to the shop owner that there were new customers. Mr. Piercy, an older man with piercing blue eyes that held a stern gaze, gave a small smile to the boys. "Hello, Potter brothers. What brings you in here? Your father finally let you get a new racing broom, James?"

James frowned. "Not even close. Maybe you can convince him that I'll take extra special care of the new Firebolt?"

The man laughed, wrinkles filling his face. "Well you're going to need a new racing broom sometime, right? I heard you've become Chaser."

"Yes, sir. But Dad gave me a second-hand racing broom for now. Until I become 'more responsible.'"

"Not likely," Albus mumbled, immeditately letting out a huff of air as James hit him in the stomach.

"How much is the new broom?" James asked.

"A thousand sickles."

"A thousand! Mr. Piercy...what's to say you didn't give a couple of old friends a little discount?" James said with a pleading smile.

"Nice try, James. But you know I can't do that. I have to sell these brooms at market price. Right now, they are going for a thousand. Why don't you ask your father? After all, he wouldn't want the Gryffindor Seeker to go without a top-of-the-line broom, right?"

James laughed sarcastically. "I'm sure he's losing so much sleep over it. Thanks anyway, Mr. Piercy. Just promise me if my dad comes in here, you will try to direct him toward that beauty over there."

"I certainly will. You boys have a good day now."

"Thank you," Albus said before the two brothers exited the shop.

Albus smacked James on the head. "Don't hit me in the stomach, you prat!"

James laughed at him. "You really want to start this?" He grabbed his brother's arm and pinned it behind his back.

"James!" He heard the sharp voice of his mother and immediately let go of Albus' arm, holding both of his hands up in surrender. "What do you think you're doing? Honestly!"

"Mum, he smacked me on the head!" James whined.

"Only because he hit me in the stomach in the shop!"

"Both of you, stop it now. James, you so much as say 'boo' to your brother, you are off your broom for a week."

"But...!"

"I don't want to hear it! And Albus, you know better than to fight back. Same warning goes for you."

Albus' eyes shot to the ground. "Yes, Mum."

"I think they shouldn't get a butterbeer today, Mummy," Lily said with a smirk.

Ginny glared at her. "I will decide how to punish your brothers, thank you very much, Lily Potter."

"Are we going to The Three Broomsticks?" Albus said, his mood suddenly lifitng. The Three Broomsticks was his favorite restaurant; his parents didn't like to eat out much, so he didn't often get to enjoy it.

"Yes. Now get there before I change my mind and take you lot home."

When his mother couldn't see, James rolled his eyes and began walking to the restaurant, ahead of his family. Lily skipped along, telling Albus all about the new robes that she had bought for the upcoming school year. Her mother had gotten them specially fitted for her small frame, remembering how her hand-me-down robes from her elder brothers always used to drag on the floor of the halls of Hogwarts.

That was one thing Ginny was extrememly grateful for; she and Harry made enough money to support their family with very few worries. Their children, although not spoiled, never really wanted for anything. They would withold things to teach the children about responsibility, like Harry deciding not to buy his oldest son a new racing broom after he broke his other one; but the three of them usually got what they wanted eventually.

They sat down at a sticky table in The Three Broomsticks and ordered a round of sweet butterbeers. Albus laughed at the foam mustache that had formed on Lily's upper lip after she had taken her first sip.

"So are you excited to start school, Lils?" James asked with genuine curiousity.

"Yes, but I'm nervous," Lily said quietly. "Will I get to see you often?"

"Well, if you're sorted into Gryffindor we will..." Albus began.

"And if you're not, then we'll ignore you for the rest of your life!" James finished.

Ginny put her head in her hands and leaned down toward the table. "James."

"Sorry, Mum."

Albus gave Lily a smile to sooth her concerned face. "He doesn't mean it, Lil. We'll love you no matter what house you're sorted into. Remember, Mum and Dad knew people from all sorts of houses."

"He's right," Ginny continued, taking her youngest child's small hands into her own. "Some of our greatest friends were Slytherin and Ravenclaw..."

"Hufflepuff too?" Lily asked.

"Well...not that I can recall. But I'm sure they are fantastic people. You'll be fine; I promise."

"But if you..." James began.

"James!" his mother cut him off sharply. "Don't even say it."

"What!" he said, giving Ginny a hurt look. "I was going to say if you need anything, Al and I will always be there for you."

Ginny blinked at him. "Oh. I'm sorry, honey. That's very sweet of you."

"_And_ I was going to say if you look at the water while you are on the boats there is a giant squid who pulls you out and plunges you into the...oww! Mum!"

Albus and Lily laughed as their mother smacked the back of their older brother's head.


	3. Chapter 3

"Dad's home!" Albus shouted into James' room before running down the hallway to the front door. He was always the first one to greet their father; he had amazing ears and could always hear the POP of their father's apparation back onto the front lawn of their quaint home in Godrick's Hallow.

James headed out of his room and down the hall to see his father taking off his coat and shoes while Albus finished showing him his new Chuddley Champs trading card.

"Hey, James," Harry said, ruffling his other son's hair. "Good today?"

"Always. How was work?"

Harry sighed. "I would have rather been home. What'd you do?"

"Daddy," Lily said, skipping up to her father. "We went to Diagon Alley. Guess what I got you!" She thrust out a Chocolate Frog from behind her back, melted a little from the summer sun.

"Thank you!" Harry gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead. "I needed this. I'm going to eat it now."

"No you're not," Ginny said as she came into the room, giving her husband a slow kiss, which made the children grimace. "Supper is ready."

"Oh great. I'm starving," Harry said.

The family made their way into the dining room, where their steaming plates of meatloaf waited for them. Ginny had learned to make food the Muggle way when Harry and her had first gotten married; she stated that it tasted better. Harry couldn't tell the difference. He was just lucky that he had a wife who didn't mind cooking; it had never been one of Harry's strong suites, magic or no magic.

Albus turned to his father. "James and I went to the broom shop and saw the new Firebolt. Have you seen it?"

Harry shook his head. "No, not yet. Did you take it for a test-ride?"

"No, Mum wasn't with us," James answered. "Mr. Piercy doesn't allow test rides without a parent. Can you take use sometime?"

"Maybe. But there's really no point when you know you're not getting the broom."

"Dad," James groaned. "I _know_. I just want to see how it feels. Please? Can we go tomorrow?"

"Oy, James. _Maybe_," Harry said with an exasperated sigh. James took a lot of energy to handle sometimes, and after a long day of work, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with him.

"Leave it go, honey," Ginny said gently to her son. "Dad's had a hard day."

"But..." James started, but stopped immeditately under the weight of his father's glare. He shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth and looked down at his plate.

The rest of the meal with filled with small talk as they caught each other up on what was happening in each other's lives. Harry talked about the stress of the Auror's office; being head Auror had its advantages, but lately it had been one headache after another. Even at this moment, he could be called back into work for the second time that day. He tried not to take the stress out on his family, but sometimes his children pushed him too much, like James had just done. He had definitely been given little handfuls, which he guessed he deserved; he hadn't exactly been easy to handle when he was younger.

When the children had cleared up the table and washed the dishes the Muggle-way, James walked over to his father and sat on the edge of his arm chair. "I would ask you if you wanted to kick the football around outside, but seeing as you're in such a mood..."

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry, James. I shoudn't have snapped at you."

"It's quite alright," he replied with a smile.

"Is there anything _you_ would like to say?"

"Not particulary."

"James..."

"Okay, okay," James said quickly. "I'm sorry for bugging you about the broom. I've been a real right prat."

"Language..."

"Okay, okay, oy. I've been _annoying_ and it's not fair to you after you've been working all day. I'm sorry, Dad. Will you please be kind enough to spend time with your eldest son outside kicking the football around? It's his one wish in the whole wide world." His son looked up at his with gleaming eyes that were difficult to refuse. Harry wondered how all of his children had him wrapped around their fingers so quickly.

Harry stood up and smiled. "Get the ball, you twit."

James grinned and ran off for the black and white Muggle ball, which Teddy, Harry's godson, was obsessed with. The entire closet practically exploded as he took the ball out of the pile; of course, it was at the bottom. "Sorry! MumI'llcleanituplaterbye!" Harry heard his son say quickly as he ran out the back door.

Ginny looked at the mess on the floor with widened eyes. "I don't think I'm going to make it through the summer without shipping him off somewhere."

With a laugh, Harry kissed his wife, and went out the door after his son.


	4. Chapter 4

"Today's the day, Al!" James sang as he passed his little brother's bedroom. "And what a wonderful day it is."

"What's the day?" Albus called out.

James stopped in his tracks and backed up to go inside Albus' room; he closed the door behind him. "The day when I play the ultimate prank."

"What? Oy, James, please don't! Mum's going to kill you. She's already been on edge with you for the past few days."

"Ohhh...she'll be fine. She just needs to lighten up is all. Besides, I need you to change your tune."

Albus gave him a suspicious look. "And why's that?"

"Because...well, because I sort of...need you."

"No way."

"Here me out, Al! How long are you going to live your life not taking any risks?" James asked him; Albus noted that he was beginning to sound like the cars salesman that he had seen on Muggle tellie.

Albus sighed. "I guess you're right..."

"Al listen...wait w..what?" James stammared. "I'm...I'm right? Just like that? Man, I'm getting good."

"Don't flatter yourself," he retorted dryly. "What didya have in mind?"

"Wow. I was expecting a lot more convincing. Okay then, here's the plan..."

* * *

><p>"JAMES POTTER!"<p>

James cursed at the sound of his name being screamed so loudly. He knew his dad would be angry, but he didn't think he would be _that_ angry. Harry rarely screamed at his children; no, he was an expert at giving "the look," causing each of them to feel shame for disappointing him. But at the sound of that yell, James began to figure that he was going to get much more than that look.

Lily poked her head into his room with a smile. "Wow! I've never heard him so mad. Good luck with that!" She ducked as James through a bed pillow at her head and disappeared with a giggle back to her bedroom.

James sighed as he heard his name being called again, along with the sound of his father's footsteps stomping toward his room. He could barely contain a laugh when he saw his father appear in the doorway; his hair was bright green, the predicted effect of the Color Creations that Uncle George had given him.

His father grabbed for his arm, but James was quick. He raced out of his room and down the hall to hide behind his mother in the kitchen. His mother, like his father, was also sporting a colorful hairstyle; it was bright purple with pink stripes. But unlike his father, his mother had not yet looked into the mirror that morning.

"James, what in the world?" Ginny said as she turned around to look at him.

"Mum, I didn't _mean _to do it," James whined. "Tell him to listen to reason."

"James!" Harry yelled as he stormed into the kitchen to catch his son. "Get. Over. Here. _Now_."

Ginny gasped when she saw her husband's hair. "What did you do!?"

"_He _did it!" Harry practically growled. "And I guess I wasn't the only one whom he targeted."

She gave him a curious look before realization washed over her face. "No..." she gasped before racing into the bathroom, leaving James unguarded from his angry father. He winced when he heard his mother scream his name; she must have reached the mirror. Now he had two angry parents who weren't laughing like he thought they would be-and now he had no where to go.

Ginny stormed back out and pointed a finger into James' chest. "How?" she snapped. "Why? When?"

James had the decency to look abashed. "I...Uncle George gave them to me. It was supposed to be…funny. I thought you could look like Teddy." Teddy was Harry's godson, the only child of the late Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. Tonks had been a Metamorphmagus, able to change her appearance when she pleased. Teddy had inherited this trait and was often sporting a colorful hairstyle, despite the fact that Ginny liked when it was his natural color now that he had a professional career.

"Do you see us laughing?!" Harry yelled. James blinked; he had never heard his father speak like this. In hindsight, he didn't know if _he _would be laughing if it had happened to him. It had just seemed like something that would have lightened up the stressful mood in the house. His father had been working nonstop, his mother had been distant due to this. No one had been themselves ever since the children came back from Hogwarts. James thought everyone could use a little laugh. But, it was clear now, no one had found humor in it.

"Don't you find it just a little funny?" James asked hopefully. His eyes shot down to the ground at the weight of his parent's angry looks, responding to his question better than words ever would.

Harry grabbed his chin and forced it up to look at him. "I have to work tomorrow!"

"Oh...right..." James sighed. "He said to not do it to anyone on a weeknight. I...I forgot."

"I can't, Ginny," Harry said, looking like he was about to explode on his eldest son. "I can't even look at him. You have to take care of this. I'm going to Hermione's house to see if she can reverse this."

With that, Harry stepped out the door and disapparated. James was glad that he didn't have to bear the angry eyes of his father anymore; but when he turned back to his mother, he remembered that her's weren't much better.

"James," Ginny snapped. "Grounded for two weeks. No broom for two weeks. No friends for two weeks. You better get used to this house because you're not leaving it for anything. And if you think you're going to Uncle George's shop anytime within the next three years, you are horribly mistaken!"

"Mum! It was a prank! A harmless prank!"

"It's funny how everything is a harmless prank. Maybe if you took a litte responsibility for your actions, you wouldn't find yourself grounded for most of the bloody year!"

James silenced at his mother's words, looking ready to say something cruel as a retort but thinking better of it under the circumstances. Suddenly, Albus' head peaked out from around the corner.

"Mum?" her younger son said in a small voice.

"Not now, Al! Can't you see I'm busy?"

Albus stepped out from the shadows and into full view, looking like a soldier ready to die on the battlefield. "I...it wasn't just James."

"Excuse me?" Ginny said in a low voice.

"I...I mean...well...James did your hair. But...I...did...Dad's..."

His mother stood with her mouth agape. "What in the world?"

"Mum, I'm sorry," Albus said, looking down at the floor with shame. "I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to have some fun with James...it wasn't supposed to go like this. Dad wasn't supposed to storm out of here. I...I..."

"Wow," Ginny said simply, taking a deep breath as if that would help her take all of this in. "I can't even process this right now. Both of you to your rooms until your father gets home. Bless your souls, because I don't know if you're going to make it through the night. I have never been more disappointed in the two of you. _Especially _you, Albus."

Albus flushed. "Mother, I..."

"No, Albus. _Go_. Both of you." Ginny pointed to the stairs and touched each of her boys on the shoulder to get them moving.

"Bloody hell, she was angry," James said when they were out of earshot. "Over a harmless little prank..."

"You are impossible, you know that?" Albus snapped. "When will you realize when you are in the wrong?"

"I do realize! Trust me. You don't get screamed at like I just did without realizing that you did something wrong..."

"You are bloody thick, you know that?" And with that, Albus slammed the door to his bedroom in his brother's face.


	5. Chapter 5

James' stomach churned when he heard his father's apparate back into the front yard. He glanced out the window, praying to see his messy black hair, the same hair he had given to his two sons. However, it was a hint of green glistening in the summer sun that he saw as his father slammed the front door and stormed back into the house.

"Sit," Harry snapped, pointing to the bed as he came into James' room.

"Dad, I..."

"Don't talk. You are grounded for a month."

"But Mum said two weeks!"

"That was before we found out that we _can't get the color out until it fades naturally_. Which will take two days. Hence, the crystal clear warning about doing the prank _over a weekend_."

"Oh," James said quietly. "Did you talk to Uncle George?"

The look on Harry's face told his son that it was a silly question to ask. Feeling like it would do him good to be quiet at this point, James closed his mouth and looked down at the ground.

"You know what, James? I cannot believe you are about to be a fourth year and still pulling stuff like this. You _know _better..."

James nodded, looking up to meet his father's hurt eyes.

"I need you to be a role model for Lily this year. Instead, I don't know if I can trust you to take care of her."

"Now, that's not fair!" his son exclaimed. "You know I would do anything for my family!"

Harry sighed as his face softened. He took his son's hand into his own. "I know. That' s not what I meant. Taking care of someone is more than protecting them from others. It's also protecting them from yourself."

"I...I don't understand."

Retracting his touch, Harry looked away. "And that's the problem, son. You don't understand. And until you learn to think of other's well being for once, you will never understand."

Harry's words hurt James more than the time a Slytherin boy called him a blood-traitor. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled into his father's chest.

"Dad, I...I'm sorry," he mumbled. "Please don't be mad at me."

Harry sighed as he held his son close. "I can't not be mad at you. But I will always love you, no matter what you do. You have to know that."

"I do. It's just, I don't like you being this angry with me."

"Well then you shouldn't have done what you did. I have to go into work tomorrow like this."

"Can't you take the day off?" James asked innocently.

Harry shook his head. "No. I have responsibilities. And it's about time you start learning what that means."

"I _do_ know what it means..."

With a kiss on James' forehead, Harry left his room and closed his door without a word. James fell backwards on his bed. _And the day had started out so promising_...

* * *

><p>Albus shivered as a knock sounded on his bedroom door. He hadn't had to face his father yet. His mother had been bad enough; he couldn't imagine the look of shame and disappointment in his father's green eyes, bearing into Albus' like the mirror image that they were. Albus was the only one of Harry's children to inherit the trait.<p>

"Al," Harry said gently. He had calmed down since visiting James. _That's a good sign_.

"D...dad. I'm so sorry. Please, don't be mad at me. I...I didn't know it would go like that. James told me that there was a way to reverse it."

"And when did it become a good idea to listen to your brother?" his father asked as he sat down on the bed. Albus pulled his feet in toward his body and sighed. "You are grounded for a month. No broom. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Albus said quietly, keeping eye contact with his father as he would expect him to.

"You're such a good boy, Al. What happened? Why did you do this?"

"Because I'm _such a good boy_. I'm sick of being a _good boy_. I want to be like James. He's so confident in himself; I feel so small all the time."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "And how do you feel now?"

"Smaller than small," Albus said, shrinking into himself at his father's stern glance.

"Was it worth it?"

Albus gulped. "No."

"I don't expect you to be perfect, Albus. But I do expect you to be yourself. This morning, you were not yourself. You went along with James because you were ashamed of who you are." Harry took his son's hands, just as he had done with James. "Albus, look at me. Never be ashamed of who you are. Never."

"I'm not brave like you, Dad," he responded, tears welling up in his eyes.

Harry kissed his forehead. "Yes you are. You just don't see it yet.

With a sigh, Albus looked away from his father once more. "Can I come downstairs and say sorry to Mum? I feel terrible..."

Harry nodded. "Then right back up to your room for the rest of the day. I'm still very upset, and I don't want to see the two of you in the common areas of the house until tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," Albus replied once more. He hugged his father quickly and then hurried down the hallway toward the kitchen where he knew his mother would be preparing lunch.

"Mum..." Albus said softly, peaking his head around the corner like he had done earlier that morning.

A purple and pink-haired Ginny put down her wand, which she had been using to magically cut some carrots for a salad, and looked at her son with crossed arms. "Did you talk to Dad?"

"Yes," he replied in a whisper.

"And...?"

"Grounded for a month. I deserve it."

"Yes you do."

"I'm sorry, Mum. I'm really, really sorry. I shouldn't have gone along with what James wanted to do. Don't know why I let him get to me."

Ginny sighed and pulled Albus into a hug. He let the tears flow freely now, knowing he could always cry in front of his mother. She soothed him as she held him close to her. "Everyone makes mistakes, love. You should have seen how angry Grandma and Granddad were when I accidentally set their sitting room rug on fire with my wand the summer after I started Hogwarts."

Albus chuckled and looked up at her, his eyes still wet with tears. "You did?"

His mother nodded and laughed along with him. "But I learned from it, and I never let my magic become uncontrolled again. And you'll learn from this-and you won't ever let _James_ become uncontrolled again. At least not when you're involved."

She felt her warm kiss on his forehead; she held it there for a moment. "Go get your brother, will you? I need to hug him too. That's the thing with children, whenever you have them; you'll be furious at them one minute, but they are still yours. You lot are easy to forgive. Even James."

Albus obediently went down the hall to fetch his older brother, who was problem sulking and pouting at the announcement of his punishment. However, Albus was surpised when he came into James' bedroom to see a few tears streaming down his cheeks. James wiped them away quickly, and Albus had the courtesy to pretend that he didn't see.

"Mum wants you in the kitchen."

"Bloody hell, what's she going to do?" James asked, looking terrified.

Albus smiled. As if their parents would ever hit them, beyond a light smack on the back of the head when they were being cheeky. _Although James could probably use it... _"To give you a hug, you paranoid prat."

"Oh." James contemplated this for a moment. "Her hair still purple?"

"Yep."

"Damn. I was hoping she had found a way around the charm. Oh, bugger, what did I do? I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Al."

Albus shrugged. "It was my choice. I could have said no."

"You always do say no. What made you change your mind this time?"

The younger of the brothers thought for a moment. "I don't know. I guess I was tired of being perfect."

James let out a laugh that in any other circumstance would have sounded like he was extremely amused. "You? Perfect?"

"That's what you called me at Diagon Alley..."

James pushed his brother playfully on the shoulder. "You have got to be kidding me. _That's _what all of this was about. Al, I was _joking_. Messing with you."

"You were?"

Rolling his eyes, James smiled. "Albus...you're far from perfect. Don't get me wrong; you're not bad. It's a good thing, trust me. Perfect is boring, and you are definitely not boring."

The youngest was stunned. It was the nicest thing that his brother had ever said to him, besides the few times when their parents made James give Albus a complement after a row. And James Potter didn't hand out nice words to just anyone.

Before James hopped out of the room, he ruffled Albus' hair lightly. "Guess we're going to be spending a lot of time together over the next month. Gotta start planning our next prank."

"I think I'm good on pranks for a little while."

James shrugged and gave his brother a small wink. "Suit yourself."


	6. Chapter 6

"Get up, get up!" said an excited eleven year old as she raced through the house.

"What the..." James muttered sleepily, glancing at his clock. It was only quarter past seven.

Hearing her oldest brother stir, Lily ran back to his room and jumped on his bed. "Get up, James! Look at what I have!" She thrusted a letter in his face.

"Hogwarts acceptance, I presume?" said a voice in the doorway.

Lily beamed. "Daddy, look! I got in!"

"Was there any doubt that you would?" Harry asked her.

"I could have been a _Squib,_" she said, her voice dropping with a saddened inflection. "But I'm not! I'm a witch and I'm ready for Hogwarts. When are we leaving?"

"Blood...I mean," James began, but stopped when his tired mind remembered that his father was in the room. He shot him an appologetic grin. "_Blimey_, Lily, I'm excited for you and everything, but I still have forty-five more minutes of sleep and I intend not to waste it. Not that I have much to do today. Unless..." Although Harry and Ginny's hair had faded back to its natural dark black and fiery red after the second day, the boys were still grounded until the end of the month.

Harry couldn't help but laugh at his son's attempt to get out of the end of his punishment. "Forget it. Still grounded. The memories of having to go into the Auror's office with everyone thinking I'd gone mad is still haunting my dreams."

"Ah, thought I'd give it a try then," James accepted, something that was truly unlike him.

_Maybe he's growing up after all_. But at the sound of Lily's yell as her older brother snatched her letter out of her hands and ran down the hall, he immeditately retracted that thought.

* * *

><p>"Why don't we let the boys come to dinner tonight? It's tradition," Ginny said to her husband as she was preparing lunch. Lily was upstairs, beginning to pack all of the things that she would be taking to Hogwarts two months from now. Albus and James were playing a game of chess in James' room. That was the one good thing that came out of their punishment; instead of it just being James on restriction, they both had to find common ground in order to avoid going absolutely crazy with boredom.<p>

Harry blinked at his wife. "What was all of that about not letting James get away with things anymore and really needing to put our foot down with him."

"Well..." Ginny said. "I feel bad for them. They have been doing great getting along lately. And a month is a long time...no, no," she began as Harry started to protest. "I'm not saying we should retract the rest of their punishment. But I think one night out to celebrate Lily's Hogwarts letter is in order. After all, Lily went out with her brothers when we celebrated their letters. Besides...this is our last child. Let's have a nice night tonight."

With a sigh, Harry nodded. "James is going to be thrilled. He's been trying so hard to get me to unground him."

"Well, let him know that he's not ungrounded. He's just clocking out for a bit to celebrate his little sister."

"What! Oh, Mum, Dad, thank you!" James' voice sounded from the end of the hallway where his bedroom was.

"How...?" Ginny began, wondering how James could have overheard their conversation from all the way in his bedroom.

Harry sighed. "Extendable ears. What can we say to him? We did the same thing to your parents."

With a laugh, Ginny leaned in to kiss her husband. "Like father, like son."

* * *

><p>Dinner was at Lily's favorite restaurant: Lunar Luck's. The boys weren't fans of it, but were grateful to be getting out of the house. Harry noted how nice it was to not have James complain about not getting to go where he wanted to go.<p>

"Daddy, can I get desert?" Lily asked, her brown eyes widening with excitement at the thought of the molten chocolate cake which she would love to devour.

James matched his sister's gaze. "Oh, Dad, can we too?"

"Sure," Harry acquiesced, not really minding if the kids had sweets; they got their sweet tooth from him.

Ginny, on the other hand, hated them to have it. "Maybe you three can split something…"

"But, Mum…." James began to whine, but stopped at his father's sharp glance.

"Ginny, let the kids have their deserts."

"You're just saying that so you can have a bite or two of each of theirs," his wife retorted with a smile, causing Harry to grin.

After the children had their deserts, Harry paid the tab and held his wife around the waist as their children led the way out of the restaurant. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" The voice belonged to a young blonde woman, a few years after her schooling. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry to bother you. But are you Harry Potter?"

Harry's face flushed and he cleared his throat. "Yes."

Her face lit up. "Oh my. My mum won't believe this. I can't believe it's actually you…"

"Ah yes, well, I really must be going…" he replied quickly.

"Can I possibly get one quick photograph? Just for the family wall."

"He said he has to be going,"James snapped. Of all of Harry's children, James hated the attention put on his family the most. In fact, it could be stated that he loathed it. He didn't like to hear stories of Harry, he didn't like to see pictures of the Order of the Phoenix. When someone mentioned his father's past, he tensed up and began getting defensive. Ginny and Harry couldn't figure out where the anger came from, but they wished he would come to terms with it.

"James," his father scolded gently, placing a firm hand on his back in both warning and comfort. "Please excuse my son. I would love to take a photograph. Ginny, my love, would you mind?"

With fire in her eyes as she stared at the pretty, young woman, Ginny quickly snapped a photograph using the wizarding camera that was handed to her.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Potter."

"Harry," he offered gently, giving her a small, apologetic smile for the awkwardness of the encounter. "Have a good night."

The woman laughed a nervous giggle as blood rushed to her cheeks. "You have a lovely family."

"Thank you," Ginny said shortly, before taking her husband's hand and turning back toward the door of the restaurant.

Harry sighed and leaned in to kiss his wife once they reached outside in the starry summer night. All would be forgiven soon. Jealousy ran thick in Ginny's blood; it was something she constantly tried to combat. However, she couldn't forget her feelings from the time when she thought she had lost Harry to Cho Chang. Even though she was young, she had still felt strongly for him.

"I hate all of this," James muttered, kicking at the ground with his foot. "Why does that sort of stuff have to happen?"

Lily smiled at her father and took the hand that wasn't entangled in Ginny's. "I think it's nice to hear about what Daddy did before we were born. It makes it seem more real."

"I like it too," Albus added sincerely.

James scowled. "Course you two do."

"Remember what I always say," Harry began. "My past…"

"'…is apart of you children's past, present, and future.'" James finished the quote sharply. "I heard it before, Dad. Can we save the lecture and go home? I have a grounding to get back to."

Ginny gave her husband a concerned look. Harry shrugged; their son just needed to cool off. His temper was something that he certainly got from his father, although Harry didn't remember being as bad as James is. It must have been the combination of the fire inside the Potter's and Weasley's that made James as quick to anger as he was.

The family grabbed hands, despite their eldest son's muttered protests, and Harry disapparated them back to the outside of the house.

"I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts so I can get out of this house," James snapped. And with that, he ran up the stairs, leaving his parents more confused and concerned than ever.


	7. Chapter 7

James often wished more than anything for a way to turn back time. Back to when he was little, so he could start out like Albus had always been: Good and kind. Back to when Lily was born, so he could have cried and pouted less about the attention he was no longer receiving. Back to the beginning of the summer, so that he could have never played that stupid prank that lost him a month of his freedom. He didn't know what it was that drove him to break the rules. Maybe it was a desire for attention. Maybe it was an inate understanding that he was meant to set the rules, not follow them. Or maybe it was just selfish, like his father had suggested. The words he had said that day still echoed in his mind. _Dad thinks I only care about myself. Who can blame him? That's how I act every day_.

This was his fourth year of school. In year four, Harry Potter was competing in the Triwizard Tournament. In year four, James Potter was a newly ungrounded boy who barely respected himself, let alone his family respecting him. He was nothing like his father. Nothing like his grandfather, his namesake. His marks were poor, his choices were questionable, he could barely control his anger. He was a wreck. No wonder he felt as if his life was falling apart.

"You ready to go?" His father's voice startled him in the early morning hours, while he was lost in thought. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," he said softly as he ruffled his son's hair. This loving action usually felt good to James; suddenly, it made him sick to his stomach. He didn't deserve his father's love and patience. He titled his head so that his father's hand slid off.

Harry looked at him with hurt flooding his green eyes. James had always wished for those eyes when he was little. If he'd had them, he and his father would have been identical. Now he was glad to have his mother's large brown eyes. "Getting too old for that, I know," his father admitted softly. "Teddy was the same way."

The young boy nodded, but didn't say anything.

"James? What's wrong?" his father asked him as he sat down next to him on his big school trunk, the same trunk Harry had taken to Hogwarts all those years ago.

Nothing, Dad. Can we just not talk about it, please? Oy, you never leave me alone." There it was again…the anger. James didn't know where it came from. But it always sprouted out, clutching at his throat like a claw and making him say things he didn't mean. Or at least that was his excuse.

"Sure," Harry said. James could tell he was holding back emotion. His father rarely showed emotion; not for his job, not for his past, not for anything except for with his children. "We're leaving in ten minutes."

"Right," he heard his son mutter before he closed the door.

* * *

><p>Harry leaned against the door and sighed. He wished he had more time with James than the few short months in the summer. And he wished that most of those months weren't spent by him yelling at his son or with the young boy being on restriction. There were days when James would run into his arms with a laugh-all he wanted was to be near Harry. Now, he could barely look his eldest in the eye without having him turn away.<p>

Noticing her father's despair as she came down the hallway, Lily threw her arms around Harry's waist. He noticed how much higher her arms landed; she was getting taller. They were all getting taller. Soon, James would be moving out. Then Albus. Then Lily. He felt his chest tighten from the loss that hadn't even happened yet.

"Don't be sad, Daddy," Lily said softly.

Harry stroked his young daughter's red hair. She looked almost like her mother did at her age. Harry hoped Lily would have a quiet school experience unlike her mother; no cursed diaries, secret chambers, and…crushes on boys. "Do you have to go to Hogwarts?" he asked with a sigh.

Lily looked up at him, her grin filling her entire face. "Yes, Dad. I'm finally old enough. I'm going to learn forbidden spells and make a Patronus, and have as many adventures as you did."

Her father laughed. "Please don't. You don't want that life. Trust me, darling."

"Then how about I just have a nice, quiet school year with good marks?"

"Sounds perfect." He kissed her nose softly. "Get your things, my little first year. We're leaving in five minutes."

He walked down the hall and knocked on the frame of his second son's open door. "Al, five minute warning. Are you all packed?"

Albus looked up from his book and smiled. "I've been packed for days, Dad."

"That's right," Harry said softly, sitting down on the bed. "You excited for your third year?"

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

Albus paused. "I mean, yes because I'm excited to see my friends again. But no because…I don't want to leave home; Christmas seems like so far away. And…I still feel like I need to make up to what happened at the beginning of summer."

The boy-who-lived grabbed his son and gently pulled him into a hug. "What's there to be sorry about? I've already forgiven you ages ago. We all make mistakes, Albus."

"I know," Albus agreed, his voice muffled by his father's chest. "Thank you, Dad. You're…you're really patient with us. Don't think we don't notice it."

Harry chuckled softly. "I didn't feel so patient when I was yelling at the two of you that day. I felt like the worst father in the world."

"Well, then that's fitting. Because we felt like the worst sons in the world."

"Even James?"

Albus nodded. "For sure. You can see it in his eyes. He hates making you angry."

"Then why does he always do it?"

His young son shrugged. "That's an answer to find out for yourself."


End file.
